In Ark Simulator, why do I always get a tough start?

Chapter 120 The Counterattack Against Victoria! The High-Speed ​​Battleships Launch Their Attack!

"What? Harold escaped back?"

[Late night of the second day, on the front lines between the Victorian and Colombian allied forces.]

When the Duke of Cayster and the Duke of Windermere, who were in charge of the overall command, learned of this from the guards, they were both extremely shocked.

After all, they had been focused on attacking Sherag and had never paid any attention to the captured Harold.

In their hearts, Harold was merely a viscount; though capable, he was not someone who couldn't be sacrificed for Victoria's grand strategy.

The moment they attacked Shelag, they had already put Harold on their death list, believing that she would be executed by Shelag sooner or later in their rage.

They had absolutely no intention of sending "Grey Hat" to rescue Harold.

And now, without any help, Harold has actually escaped from Sherag?

[Combined with the violent anomalies that occurred in Sherag yesterday, both dukes subconsciously began to suspect Harold.]

He was, after all, a prisoner who luckily escaped because of that strange phenomenon.

[Or was it a spy who infiltrated them when Khelag was desperate?]

Unsure whether this was an opportunity or a trap, the two dukes had no choice but to routinely interrogate the prisoners who had returned to their troops.

Harold himself was personally vetted by the two duchesses!

"Ah~ I never expected to see the two dear dukes again."

"It's been many days since we last met, and the two dukes are still as elegant as ever, like beautiful flowers on a battlefield, both captivating and awe-inspiring!"

Having been imprisoned for over ten days, Harold looked quite disheveled, even his expensive fur coat was filthy. He immediately began to flatter Harold:

"Please forgive my current disheveled appearance, Your Excellencies."

"Although things are developing quite well on Mount Khelag, as a prisoner, I don't enjoy any preferential treatment."

"—Shut up, Harold, we're not here to hear your flattery."

However, Harold's flattery did not earn him the friendship of the two dukes.

Before Kast could speak, the Duke of Windermere gave Harold a cold look and said in a chilling tone:
"The capture of 10,000 vanguard soldiers has impacted the Empire's strategy, forcing Victoria and Columbia into this predicament. You should bear full responsibility!"

"If you fail to redeem yourself after this war, I will definitely send you to a military court and strip you of your title!"

"Haha, I understand, I understand. I will certainly answer all your questions to the best of my ability."

Harold appears outwardly composed and sophisticated, but inwardly he is filled with dread.

It's not that I'm afraid of going to a military court, or being stripped of my title.

He had applied for discharge from the military multiple times, but each application was rejected. For him, being stripped of his title simply meant having more time to spend with his family.

But as a true Victorian aristocrat, Harold knew all too well the Victorian ways.

[I am neither an unknown nobody, nor a nobleman of such high status that even dukes dare not easily offend me.]

With the battle at a stalemate, Duke Windermere was determined to pin all the blame on him.

If I can't bring back any intelligence this time, even if I escape back to Victoria, I will still be tried as a war criminal.

At that time, I fear even his own family, and perhaps his entire clan, will suffer.

Harold, aware of the risks of escaping, still chose to return to the military, clearly having found an opportunity to redeem himself.

Seeing Harold's composure, the two dukes exchanged a glance, and finally, Harold's direct superior, the Duke of Castle, spoke up and asked:

"Harold, how did you escape?"

"It's a long story."

Upon the start of the interrogation, Harold answered calmly and without reservation:

"Actually, in the past ten days or so, thanks to the two dukes' fierce attack on Shelag, the Shelag people have not been very strict in guarding us."

“My brothers and I had already come up with a way to escape from prison, but we pretended to be imprisoned to gather intelligence and plan our escape route.”

"Just yesterday, my brothers and I received some important intelligence."

Harold's smile faded, and he greeted the two dukes with a solemn expression, saying:

“Yesterday, the holy mountain of Shelag experienced extremely violent but strange tremors.”

"Such a terrifying natural disaster was confined to the small area of ​​the Holy Mountain. The rest of Sherag did not even feel the slightest tremor until the top of the Holy Mountain collapsed."

"And today, news came from Sherag that King Kalan and the Holy Maiden were assassinated in the palace."

"Assassination?!"

The information Harold shared surprised the two dukes, who then turned their inquisitive gazes towards each other.

However, a brief exchange of glances confirmed that neither of them was responsible for the assassination attempt.

"It seems that the two dukes are unaware of this."

Harold, who had taken in both Kast and Windermere's reactions, understood and continued:
"So that means the assassination was carried out by Letania."

"...It seems so."

The Duke of Caesar nodded, but quickly, realizing the crux of the matter, she asked, her breathing becoming heavier:
"No! If they were assassinated in the palace, how powerful would it have been to collapse the top of the sacred mountain?"

"If even the top of the sacred mountain has collapsed, does that mean the assassination was successful?!"

"—I regret to inform you, Your Grace, that as far as I know, they seem to have escaped unscathed."

Harold had to dispel the Duke of Caesar's illusions, but then brought them good news that was no less exciting than a successful assassination.

"As for how it was done... I don't know either."

"Based on the information we obtained from conversations with the prison guards, Her Majesty attributes all of this to 'the protection of Jeragand'."

"According to that saintess, Yeragand sacrificed her divine power to protect her and King Kalan in exchange for their lives."

"Of course, that's not the point."

At this point, Harold, who had never believed in ghosts or superstitions, shook his head indifferently and instead revealed what he considered the most important information.

"Importantly, we learned about the King of Kalan's movements from the conversation between the two prison guards."

"I heard that after the assassination, he did not show his face for a whole day. The saintess even publicly declared that Prime Minister Ensiodes would act as the full agent of the affairs of the King of Kalan."

"Moreover, when my brothers and I were fleeing, we discovered that the Sherag people seemed to be holding some kind of ceremony, and the guards were unusually lax."

"Your Grace! I dare to speculate that tonight may be our best opportunity to capture Sherag!"

"Laitania's assassination plan has failed, and we haven't yet obtained any intelligence about Sherag's interior!"

"If we can seize the opportunity and take down Sherag in one fell swoop, our predicament will be greatly improved!"

[It must be said that, despite the many suspicious points, Harold did gather a considerable amount of useful intelligence.]

[But what truly made Kasper decide was not what Harold considered most important—King Kalan's condition, or the laxity of the defenses tonight.]

[It was precisely that phrase he considered insignificant, "the protection of Jeragund," that he used.]

The Duke of Caesar has been secretly investigating whether the legends of Jeragund are true.

After all, this secluded snow-capped mountain seemed to be protected by a mysterious force, remaining untouched by Originium and natural disasters for thousands of years.

[Furthermore, the Duke of Caesar learned that ancient texts in Kjerag indeed mention individuals who witnessed Jeragand's apparitions and who served as kings of Kjerag for a period of time.]

[And during the continuous fighting that lasted for more than ten days, whenever the allied forces gained some advantage and seemed about to capture Shelag, there would always be "unexpected" severe weather, etc.]

All of this made the Duke of Caesar increasingly convinced that Jeragund might indeed exist.

Now, considering the miraculous changes that occurred on the Holy Mountain last night, and the sudden silence following the assassination of King Kalan, the Duke of Caesar is even more certain of one thing!

[Yelagand, perhaps, chose to sacrifice herself to protect King Kalan and the saint!]

King Kalan's despondency likely stemmed from his realization that Sherag had lost the protection of Jeragund, leading to his despair and despondency.

The Duke of Caesar's breathing became much heavier at the thought.

[If the information Harold brought is accurate, and my guess is correct.]

[So, if Victoria can capture Sherag before Leitania takes action, she can break the stalemate and, relying on Sherag, defeat Leitania's attack!]

However, the Duke of Caesar's idea was opposed by Windermere.

"We cannot place all our hopes on a prisoner who has escaped and on intelligence that may or may not be accurate!"

"If the intelligence is wrong, or if Harold has already betrayed us, Victoria will be destroyed!"

"—Then you shall guard your army and all the steam knights at the front!"

However, despite Windermere's strong opposition, Kast, whose political views differed from Windermere's, chose to stand firm.

She knew that although the current situation appeared to be a siege of Letania by two countries, the vast majority of the logistical burden still rested on Victoria.

[Colombia, ostensibly to guard against an attack from Bolívar's direction, did not send any regular troops to assist, only some mechs to support the battlefield.]

Today, Letania possesses a vast territory, abundant mineral resources, and strong logistical support, so it has no fear of straining its national strength against Victoria. Victoria, on the other hand, lacks logistical support from Colombia, and in the long run, it may be completely worn down.

At that time, Colombia will truly reap the benefits.

Therefore, as the weaker party, Kais had no choice but to trust Harold's intelligence, believing it could help Victoria turn the tide of the battle!

Otherwise, if this drain on national strength continues, only Colombia and the ruthless Ursus, who are eyeing the country with predatory intent and whose brutality will only surpass Letania's, will benefit.

Even if we take a step back and say the worst, being ruled by Letania is much more acceptable than the Ursus people who leave the land but not the people.

[Therefore, after each of them had taken on their respective duties, the Duke of Castle committed all of his troops to the campaign to capture Shelag!]

……

In the deepest part of the night, the dark, slippery ski slopes of Shelag, where a single misstep could lead to tragedy, become a forbidden zone that most people would rather avoid.

Night fighting has always been a specialty of the natives of Shelag, and the fact that weapons are simply not designed for use on the ski slopes has led to an almost tacit agreement between the two countries not to launch an attack at night.

Even so, this place remains under strict guard and in a state of wartime readiness.

This time, however, it seems that due to the internal rituals of Shelag, there were fewer than 100 guards on patrol, and their vigilance was not very high.

"what……"

Late at night, a Sherag guard couldn't help but yawn.

In that brief moment of confusion, he didn't notice a dark figure that had already crept up behind him.

The next second, a "click" was heard, and the body of the Sherag guard fell limply onto the snow.

His vacant eyes seemed to be silently telling the story that he didn't even know how he died.

"...Continue the infiltration."

Having silently dealt with one of Sherag's guards, "Grey Top Hat" calmly ordered his colleagues to continue their ascent up the snow-capped mountain.

These spies, belonging to the Duke of Caesar, were rarely dispatched by Caesar to carry out such assassination and reconnaissance missions due to the high cost of their training.

But this time, faced with the best opportunity to occupy Shelag, Castells chose to be extremely cautious.

She dispatched twenty of her "Grey Hats" to clear a safe path for her army.

The progress of the twenty "grey hats" can be described as quite smooth.

Along the way, they wiped out many patrol teams, and even the annoying siege crossbows halfway up the mountain were secretly destroyed by them.

And so, after more than an hour of pushing forward, the twenty "Grey Hats" successfully arrived at the town of Sherag.

It felt almost unreal, so relaxed.

"call……"

After exhaling a puff of white breath, the leader, wearing a grey top hat, quickly surveyed his surroundings and soon noticed a raging fire in the distance.

By the light of the fire, "Grey Hat" could vaguely make out the figures surrounding the fire.

"Perhaps this is the ritual of the Sherag people."

"It's a real pity... Your devout faith in Jeragand is the source of your confidence in fighting bravely."

"Now, this very source of faith has become the root of your downfall."

The man in the grey top hat murmured softly, then immediately gave an order to his colleagues:

"Send a signal to His Majesty the Duke."

"The intelligence is accurate; now is the time to launch a full-scale attack!"

"it is good."

As soon as the man in the gray top hat finished speaking, another colleague quickly took out a signal pistol from his pocket and fired it into the sky without saying a word.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Caesar, who had secretly mobilized his troops and gathered at the foot of the mountain, could no longer contain his excitement when he saw a colorful signal flare that stood out conspicuously in the darkness!
"Shh!"

"Soldiers of Victoria! Forward!"

"Oh!" XN
The Duke of Caesar raised her ducal rapier, and at her command, tens of thousands of Victorian soldiers roared like thunder and charged toward Sherag!

The slippery, dark snow track, and the sheer drop of a bottomless cliff, could not stop these passionate soldiers from advancing.

Every soldier rushed forward, eager to claim the free "first to charge" honor!
The ski slope, which would normally take even locals in Shelag at least an hour to climb, was reached by these Victorian soldiers ten minutes ahead of them!
When Victoria, her face flushed and panting, officially became the first soldier to break into Shelag, he couldn't contain his excitement and cheered loudly!
"Come on! You bunch of country bumpkins who raise pack animals! Come and fight the valiant Victorian soldiers!"

"*Victorian slang*! John! You're asking for it! Shut the hell up!"

The squad leader, who was right behind him, immediately slapped the soldier on the back of the head. Without even catching his breath, the squad leader quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain and immediately gave the order:

"The most urgent task now is to defend the ski slopes! Everyone stay put!"

"Once our main force arrives, this snow-capped mountain will officially belong to Victoria!"

However, the moment the squad leader finished speaking, he keenly noticed something unusual coming from under his feet.

Hmm? Why does the snow feel a bit hard underfoot?

Before the squad leader could even get a clearer sense of it, suddenly, a thick ice wall burst forth from beneath his feet!
"what happened?!"

At the foot of the mountain, the Victorian soldiers, who were unable to even enter due to the narrow ski slope, were also stunned as they stared at the ice wall that suddenly rose into the sky.

The ice wall isn't very high, only about three or four meters, and you can easily jump over it with just the simplest tools.

But the thickness of more than a meter caused all the Victoria soldiers who were stuck in the narrow ski slope to feel a great sense of despair!
Panic began to spread rapidly among the Victorian soldiers who were stuck in the middle of the ski slope.

"what happened?!"

"Why have you stopped moving forward!"

"Stop crashing! Stop the line behind! Someone's fallen!"

"Everyone! Don't panic!"

The Victorian officers, once on the ski slope, shouted desperately to calm the soldiers around them.

After all, if a stampede were to occur on this narrow ski slope, it could result in hundreds or even thousands of non-combat casualties.

This is a situation that no officer would want to see.

"Quickly! Use heavy weapons to pry open the ice!"

"Where are the Columbia mechs! Get them here right now—what do you mean the mechs are stuck in the middle of the road and can't get through?!"

However, just as all the officers began to try to cut through this thick layer of deadly ice...

Suddenly, a violent tremor came from beneath their feet, which only heightened everyone's panic.

Is it an earthquake?
At this time?!

Although the earthquake was not very strong in terms of its intensity, any earthquake in these snow-capped mountains could trigger an avalanche.

At that time, the fate of these soldiers stuck in the snow track can only be described as tragic.

However, to the relief of all the trapped Victorian soldiers, the earthquake lasted only a short while and did not trigger an avalanche.

But before they could completely relax, they saw a pitch-black "giant beast" in the sky that obscured the moon and stars...

What on earth is that?
Without any light source, the Victorian soldiers, shrouded in darkness, had no way of identifying what the "giant beast" in the sky was.

Only in the distant Lytanian army could people recognize the giant steel ship in the sky.

"High-speed warships?! Kjerag actually has high-speed warships!"

"Who on earth sold them the blueprints for the high-speed warship?!"

The unbelievable fact unfolded before their eyes, and for a moment, even the disciplined Leitanian army was gripped by panic.

However, they soon realized that the steel behemoth was not coming toward them.

"Your Majesty! The warships have taken off! All indicators are normal! Shall we launch an attack?"

On the warship, Chief Engineer Nosis personally piloted the steel behemoth and made a request to King Kalan, who was in Sherag, preparing to lead his army in a final counterattack.

He soon received his orders.

"By my order, aim all cannons at the Victoria soldiers on the ski slopes!"

Through the communicator came Chen Qi's long-suppressed excitement and cruel voice, as he ruthlessly gave the order:
"Destroy all the invaders for me!"

"—Yes! First through twentieth cannons, aim at the ski slope!"

Under Nosis's command and operation, the cannons of the high-speed warships were all aimed at the Victorian soldiers who were lined up in a row on the ground.

It will unleash its furious roar to exact revenge on all those who dare to invade Shelag!
"Fire!"

"boom--!!"

The deafening bombardment began to assault the bodies of the Victorian soldiers trapped in the snow track.

A one-sided massacre from the air to the ground had begun.

(End of this chapter)